Drury University Plans to Cut Faculty

Springfield, MO – Over the course of the next two years, Drury University will not be renewing the contracts of twelve faculty members.

Several degree programs will be affected, including architecture, arts administration and music.

Although the cuts have already been announced, some students remain hopeful in finding a way to save their teachers jobs.

“There are still ways to look at alternatives. Those alternatives could be cuts in other areas. Our non-academic areas, do we have areas we could take cuts there? We want to be able to strengthen our academics, um, and see where those other areas are where we can make potential cuts,” said Karis Agnew, a junior at Drury University.

The face book group “Save Drury University as a Liberal Arts College” was created right after the announcement.

“The purpose is to start a conversation and to bring awareness to the issue because despite that the administration has said that no programs will be cut, they’re cutting vital faculty members that are needed in order to sustain those programs,” said Megan Ortmeyer, a junior at Drury University.

Within days the group had over seventeen-hundred followers and the administration noticed.

“After we started the page and got a bunch of student support, uh, they agreed to have student forums. So we had six forums with the president himself in which we were able to ask questions and be a little bit more engaged to try and get transparency,” said Alex Johnson, a junior at Drury University.

University officials stated that the cuts are to adjust to changes in enrollment amid demographic and economic shifts, although…

The cuts come at an odd time for Drury University with their tax records showing that they have made a net income each of the last two fiscal school years.

With the cuts, the university says it plans to invest more in existing faculty and staff by offering more opportunities for growth and professional development.